Sunday, August 25, 2013

It is hoped that National OCA's long silence implies that it at least partially agrees with the points that 80-20 has raised. 80-20 wants to use this opportunity to express its appreciation and admiration for OCA's apparent capacity to listen and reflect. We want to apologize if we had inadvertently used inappropriate words in stating our case. The faults are mine, not that of the 80-20 Boards.

80-20 also hopes that OCA may soon adopt a new college admissions position that is more consistent with the rightful interests of Asian American college applicants.

Another 80-20 hope is that many other AsAm civil rights orgs. were also listening to the points that 80-20 was making. Click here and view E-mails 110 to 116 for 80-20's views on this matter.

Let's hope that one day we will all work together. As the smallest of the minorities with the least political maturity, UNITY shall be our salvation. The sooner we'll have empowered ourselves to be equal citizens of the US, the more we will help make America "a more perfect Union."

(2) WE are also At FaultMoney talks. We don't financially support our OWN civil rights orgs. They are getting their money from outside of our community. So others' money are talking to them.
We also need to use our money to let AsAm young civil rights workers know that we are not only becoming politically more mature but also striving to live up to our social responsibilities. Thus far, we have been a sorry lot -- timid and stingy, although we are mostly well-educated and financially comfortable!

(3) Let's Work Together to Let Our Money Talk
80-20's 2 Boards - PAC and Educational Foundation - are working hard to find a REALISTIC & IMAGINATIVE solution to let our money talk. We have strength in per family income. We must empower ourselves by pulling on our own bootstraps. We'll consult widely. More on that later.

Monday, August 19, 2013

SPEAK UP & ACT OUT. That is the minimum required of YOU, if you want to protect your rights in the USA.

A dispute between 80-20 and OCA (Organization of Chinese Ams) regarding the Affirmative Action programs, AA, (college admissions AND the glass ceiling in workplaces) has been raging for weeks.

The Results of AA Are Not In Dispute
Here are the two results of AA. The factual results are not disputed.

Result (1):The Highest Admission Barrier Against Our Children:
To have equal access to elite colleges, the average AsAm students' SAT score were 140 pts higher than whites, 270 pts higher then Hispanics, and 450 pts higher than blacks (out of 1600).
NOTE: Our children must overcome higher barriers even compared against the white applicants.

Result (2):The Lowest glass ceiling in workplaces Against Our Adults:
The Figure below clearly shows that AsAms have the lowest chance of being promoted to the management level in (i) private industries, (ii) universities and (iii) federal government, when compared with all other races.

National OCA's Stands on Both Issues
Nat'l OCA APPROVES of the highest barrier against our children because it believes DIVERSITY among college students requires our sacrifice.

But Nat'l OCA is almost SILENT on the glass ceiling. Isn't DIVERSITY in management levels in corps. also important?

OCA has submitted many amicus briefs to the Appeal Courts and Supreme Court to support "race-conscious" admissions. What comparable action has nat'l OCA taken to fight against the glass ceiling in workplaces?

80-20's Stands on Both Issues
80-20 has worked with the Obama Administration to RAISE the glass ceiling against AsAms. The Labor Dept.'s highest officer to enforce the elimination of the glass-ceiling is Patricia Shiu, a Chinese American who used to work in San Francisco, CA. 80-20 has met with her twice to urge speedier and more significant results. For those of you who know Shiu, pls help urge her for more actions and results.

80-20 is 4-square AGAINST the higher barrier against our kids. 80-20 filed an amicus brief in the Supreme Court to oppose "race-conscious" admission. 80-20 is for diversity. It is NOT against yielding SAT points to Hispanics and blacks. However, 80-20 is OUTRAGED by the fact that AsAms need to yield 140 pts to the white applicants. That is ANTI-affirmative!!!

80-20 fights for you in both cases. The nat'l OCA is hurting us. Speak up and act out! E-mail THayashi@ocanational.org .

Seize the chance when 80-20 is still alive. We may cease operation by 2017. FORWARD this e-newsletter to your friends. Post your comments on 80-20's Poster Board .

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Tom Hayashi, Executive Director of OCA (Org. of Ch-Ams), issued a recent press release stating:
"We ardently hope that the Court of Appeals will uphold the University of Texas' admission policy."

NOTHING IS MORE DANGEROUS TO US than having our own civil rights organizations taking positions contrary to our rightful interests.

Why? (1) Because it gives the cover of LEGITIMACY to the discrimination against us. (2) It dulls & BEFUDDLES our community's senses, and (3) They will be rewarded by our "opponents" and come back to haunt us later ON EVEN BIGGER ISSUES. In the real world, "Benedict Arnolds" do exist.

Be warned! Read the testimonies below. See how beholden the OCA has been to corporate money. Will it still work for Asian Ams' rightful interests? All emphasis below are added.

(1) Mei-ling Woo,President of OCA's Seattle chapter -- "Chapter of the Year" for two consecutive years in 2003 & 04 under her leadership.

"OCA has long lost its standing as an advocacy organization & is more like a scholarship dispensing machine for corporations. I personally witnessed the disrespectful treatment they received from corporations because of the funding. . . . "

(2) Juliet Shen, Lisa Lei, and Vanessa Teck, 3 fired OCA interns

When one of the 3 suggested to Tom Hayashi, OCA Exec. Dr., about not taking Walmart money, he answered "Well, wouldn't we run out of corporations to take from?" To see the statement, click on "These are our stories, these are our experiences" put up by the 3 OCA interns, who were fired and escorted to leave the premises recently.

(3) Albert Wang, M.D., one of the best-known and most respected Chinese Ams in N. California:

"I've had a similar experience, although I was never an officer in OCA, around 1995 . . . when I went to the OCA Convention in Washington DC on behalf of OCA East Bay Chapter. As the president of Citizens for Better Community in Fremont, I was then trying to network with other Chinese American organizations in the Bay Area and met then OCA East Bay President Danny Wan. We both went to DC to attend the annual OCA Convention, celebrating it's 30th year (25th ?). I met two young activists from the Oakland area who were there to propose that OCA decline funding from Philip Morris, disguised as Kraft Food at the time. As the only representatives from the East Bay Chapter, we sat at the board meeting, while not being board members, and listened to their plea. It was enlightening, as a health care professional, to hear that the tobacco industry has such influence on our national organization while so many Chinese Americans and Chinese are addicted to smoking and suffer from its health consequences. Similar to what Mei-ling Woo experienced, the board listened, stated that they can't do without the money, and refused to consider the proposal. This is an example of the corporate influence on our national organization, even when it's not in our community's interest."

". . . many organizations growing irrelevant . . . A case in point is OCA's latest stand on affirmative action for college admissions . . I do not see (Affirmative action) as an allocation of permanent quota system to the punishment of all other groups. . . Has OCA solicited the views of its membership base, instead of just the views of its executive councils, on such an important issue . . .? . . . Ginny . . . could you help in that front? Please?"

Do You Still Think OCA Is Working For Us?
YOUR CALL. Is OCA still an honest organization working for you? Beware that we are partially culpable -- we are NOT willing to financially support our own civil rights orgs. So OTHERS' money is talking to OCA and other AsAm civil right orgs. to our DETRIMENT!FORWARD this e-newsletter to your friends. Post your comments on 80-20's Poster Board .

Monday, August 5, 2013

The so-called Asian Am "civil rights" organizations, which went out of their ways to support "race-conscious" college admissions, questioned the validity of 80-20's survey. 80-20 CHALLENGED them to do such a poll on their own or do one jointly with 80-20. None picked up 80-20's challenge.

Good news. National polls on Americans' preference on college admissions are now available. Their results support 80-20's findings. The polls are:

(1) The Washington Post-ABC poll, 6/12/13 AsAms NOT included in this poll.
The poll question asked "Do you support or oppose allowing universities to consider applicants race as a factor in deciding which students to admit?"
76% of Americans nationally opposed using race as a factor. Even blacks opposed it by 78%. Surprised? That's why another poll was taken 12 days later.

(2) Gallup Poll, 6/25/13 Asian Ams were still NOT included.
The question is more precise. It now asks whether "applicants should be admitted solely on the basis of merit, even if that results in few minority applicants being admitted" or "an applicant's racial and ethnic background should be considered to help promote diversity on college campuses, even if that means admitting some minority students who might not otherwise be admitted,"

The national support, excluding Asians, has dropped from 76% to 67%.
Still 75% of whites oppose "race-conscious" admissions.

Still Doubt 80-20's Survey Result of 98%?
Let's reason together. Princeton sociology Tom Espenshade stated in his 2009 book:
to gain equal access to elite colleges, the average SAT scores (out of 1600) of Asians are to be 140 pts higher than whites, 270 pts higher than Hispanics and 450 pts higher than blacks."

IN OTHER WORDS, deducing from Espenshade's data, whites on the average ONLY give 130 pts to Hispanics and 310 pts to blacks. Indeed, whites, on the average, receive the benefit of GAINING 140 from Asian Ams. Still whites oppose "race-conscious" college admissions by 75%.

Asian Ams are by far the most discriminated under this policy, SHOULD IT BE SURPRISING THAT Asian Ams oppose it by 98%?

An Earnest Plead To Asian Am Civil Rights Orgs.
Ask yourselves these questions: (1) If you doubt 80-20's poll results, do you have the responsibility to do a poll of your own to find out what Asians want with admissions?

(2) Have you been induced by your need to acquire funding and get along with NAACP to let down your guards to protect Asian Am interests?
80-20 respects NAACP. But we'll NOT hesitate to disagree with its positions, if they are against the rightful interests of Asian Ams.

(3) May we work together for the best interests of our community?
United we'll be strong. We can then achieve our altruistic and pragmatic goals with honor and pleasure.

"NOTHING is more dangerous to us than having our own civil rights orgs. taking positions contrary to our rightful interests. . . ."

"Don't be so quick to blame OCA. Understand the causes first! (1) We Don't Invest In Ourselves . . . MONEY TALKS! We are NOT willing to provide the money. So other people's money is talking! (2) We Lack Political Wisdom! . . . they (AsAm civil rights workers) will eventually work for either black or Hispanic civil rights orgs. or for agencies of Democratic Administrations. That requires AsAm civil rights workers to always get along with NAACP. "

HERE IS WHAT 3 RECENTLY FIRED OCA INTERNS DID & HAVE TO SAY.

On July 12, Juliet Shen, Lisa Lei, and Vanessa Teck protested that OCA was too beholden to corporate money, and also hinted that OCA was too eager to please powerful political institutions. 3 days later, one intern was pulled into the office of OCA Executive Director Tom Hayashi. Hayashi asked "Well, wouldn't we run out of corporations to take from?"

On July 19, the interns did a private "14 second Instagram, captioned 'This is how we feel about Walmart,' individuals frowned, shook their head and illustrated an inappropriate hand gesture" that was unfortunately leaked to the public. The next day, they were fired and escorted off the premise, where OCA's national convention was being held, by OCA staff immediately. Hmm, is OCA still a civil rights org.? Or is it now CORPORATE OCA?

Civil rights used to be a movement. By now, it is an industry. Like so many institutions in Washington D.C. -- it's the same old story, the chase for money and glory. Does OCA still care about "Embracing the hopes and aspirations of Asian Pacific Ams."?

On a similar vein, why couldn't OCA at least show us a real membership and chapters list? Mr. Hayashi claims that "OCA is a membership-driven org. "

Why wouldn't he proudly show OCA's membership list to the public immediately? WHY? WHY? Draw your own conclusion!

Why is 80-20 fighting with OCA? No, we don't want to fight OCA. However, in order to protect YOU from having YOUR interests betrayed, we need the truth to come out!!! We believe an Asian Am organization must be HONEST with its own community. Lies should not be tolerated, because it may make the org. vulnerable, inducing it to betray our community.

NOTHING IS MORE DANGEROUS TO US than having our own civil rights orgs. taking positions contrary to our rightful interests.